Brandon Stirling Baker’s Choreography of Light to Premiere at the Guggenheim

Lighting designer and CalArts alum Brandon Stirling Baker has built an international portfolio working in the areas of opera, dance and theater. On Jan 18 and 20, 2019, Baker presents the world premiere of Choreography of Light at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

Developed through the Center for Ballet and the Arts at New York University, where Baker is currently a Resident Fellow, the new ballet is inspired by and showcases the close relationship between choreography and lighting design. Working in collaboration with choreographer Jamar Roberts of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the ballet explores the past, present and future of lighting for ballet through colors and visual aesthetics.

The program features an excerpt of brand-new choreography by Justin Peck — one of Baker's frequent collaborators — for an upcoming Houston Ballet premiere. Performing the piece are Houston Ballet's Chun Wai Chan, principal; Harper Watter, soloist; and Jessica Collado, principal.

Choreography of Light also features new music by Sufjan Stevens and new choreography by Roberts, performed by Patricia Delgado, former principal dancer with Miami City Ballet; Sarah Daley of Alvin Ailey; and Taylor Stanley of the New York City Ballet.

In an interview published earlier this year with CalArts, Baker — now the lighting director for Boston Ballet — talked about his start in the field, collaborating with CalArts dance students on experimental works. "I was never seen only as a technician, but rather as another creative voice making contributions to a new work," he said. "I worked closely with composers and choreographers to develop the visual vocabulary."

Baker's production is part of the museum's Works & Process (W&P) events series, established in 1984 by Mary Sharp Cronson as a gift to the community. W&P makes artists and performing arts accessible to the public and explores artistic creation through conversations and performances.

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